The Bazaar
by Lady Rosalune
Summary: "General Iroh watched the party in amusement. Since he'd first met these child heroes—not even two years ago, he realized in amazement—they had all grown so much. After the war a year ago they had all gone their separate ways. Today, the one year anniversary of Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord, they were finally reunited." Iroh's thoughts on the group's various paths and futures.


_Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but here's a new story. Behold! The Bazaar. As always, I hope you enjoy it. Please review!_

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><p>General Iroh watched the party in amusement. Since he'd first met these child heroes—not even two years ago, he realized in amazement—they had all grown so much. After the war a year ago they had all gone their separate ways. Today, the one year anniversary of Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord, they were finally reunited. Not that Zuko had bothered to show up on time.<p>

As Iroh scanned the torchlit courtyard for any sign of his nephew, his eye was caught by the young Avatar. At the moment, Aang was performing airbending tricks for the children. They laughed and clapped as Aang, who looked hardly older than they did, created tiny tornadoes of wind and balanced candle flames atop them. Behind the airbender stood Katara, his ever-present shadow. Although Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara had hardly been home since the war ended. Right after Zuko's coronation she and Aang had begun traveling throughout the four nations trying to rebuild. As Iroh looked closely at the waterbender, he saw that her face was gaunt and pale, very different from the joyous liveliness that once characterized her features. The constant movement and the responsibility to watch over the child Avatar had certainly taken its toll on her.

Iroh sighed. Since the day they'd met, Katara had acted as a mother for Aang, filling the terrible gap left by the destruction of the Air Nomads. Although this was exactly what Aang had needed when he reemerged into a world that had lived for a century without him, the Avatar had foolishly mistaken the love for a mother-figure as something more. As an old general who knew what it was to truly be in love, Iroh knew better. The Avatar's error was putting ever more pressure on Katara to grow up and act as both a mother and a romantic partner. Katara had been robbed of her childhood by the war, and her young friend's dependence was now stealing the life from her teenage years as well.

As Iroh watched, Aang became distracted from the children. He turned and grabbed onto Katara's hand and drew her toward the dance floor. Katara frowned and shook her head, obviously not in the mood to dance, but Aang was insistent. Iroh frowned. He remembered a conversation he'd had with Katara the night before Sozin's Comet arrived. She'd been exhausted from worrying about Aang's disappearance, and had come to his tent in nervous tears.

_"General Iroh?" Katara said softly, poking her head in the entrance to the tent. _

_ Iroh looked up in surprise. Katara's face was streaked with tears and her darting eyes revealed a restless anxiety. "Come in Katara. What can I help you with tonight?"_

_ Katara slowly moved into the tent and took a seat opposite where Iroh was sitting looking over the war plans. "Well, Toph says you give really good advice, and I need some. I'm worried about Aang. I don't know if he'll be able to defeat Ozai tomorrow. How do we know he'll even come back?"_

_ Iroh sighed, and began to make tea. "Katara, the Avatar will be here to face his destiny. Either he will win, or he will lose. However, whichever results, he will have to find the answer within himself. I know you want to help him, but there is nothing you can do now except be there for him. You have been a good friend to the Avatar. Although that is all you can do, it is worth much."_

_ Katara cringed slightly and brought a hand to her mouth. She slowly looked up at Iroh who had not missed the gesture. "About that," she said haltingly, flushing slightly. "I don't know if that's how Aang sees it." _

_ Iroh raised an eyebrow, and Katara rushed into a story. She spoke of going to see the Ember Island Players perform a play about her and her friends. She told of Aang's reaction to the play's insinuations of a relationship between her and Zuko, and its lack of relationship between himself and Katara. When she reached her conversation with Aang during intermission, Iroh's eyes narrowed. _

_ "He was so distraught when he accused me of only thinking of him as a brother. I didn't know what to say. I told him I'd think about it, and then he. . . Well, he. . ." Katara bit her lip, faltering. _

_ "Katara, it's alright, you can tell me. What did he do?" Iroh said gently, setting a cup of jasmine tea in front of her. _

_ "Well, he kissed me. He'd done it before, but I'd just said I'd think about our relationship, and he just did it without asking me. I—" Katara stopped, fighting back tears._

_ Iroh frowned. Although a child, Aang ought to know better than to force himself upon Katara like that. "What are you going to do?"_

_ Katara suppressed a sob. "I don't know. That's just the problem. I don't want to hurt him, and I think I may actually love him. I was so sure I did, and then I was confused, but even now, I. . . I think I really do love him." As she spoke, tear after tear escaped her control. Although one of the most powerful waterbenders in the world, capable even of bending the blood in a human body, Katara couldn't hold back her tears. . . _

Iroh shook himself from his memories. Katara was now dancing with Aang, albeit reluctantly. Apparently nothing had really changed in Aang's treatment of Katara. He was so oblivious. Iroh was genuinely surprised that Aang could be so unwilling to take into account Katara's feelings while at the same time claiming such devotion to her.

In fact, Iroh realized sadly, Aang had a record of hypocrisy when it came to Katara. When she had sought to go after the man who killed her mother, Aang had preached forgiveness and mercy. And yet, when a group of sandbenders stole Appa, a story Iroh had heard later from Toph, Aang had immediately lost himself in the Avatar state and begun destroying everything in sight. Katara needed to be able to make her own choices without being told what to do by a child who always did as he pleased.

Suddenly, Aang flew from the dance floor, dragging Katara behind him. Iroh looked to see what had caught the boy's attention, and found that Zuko and Mai had finally arrived. Aang was now happily greeting the young Fire Lord and his obviously annoyed girlfriend. As Aang rambled on about something that no one cared about, Zuko turned to Katara. Over the din of the party, Iroh could just barely make out his words.

"Katara, it's been a while. How are you?"

Katara's shrugged and continued to politely listen to Aang's monologue.

Zuko frowned. "Are you alright? You look like you've been sick or something."

Katara looked over at him, then dropped her gaze. "I suppose I haven't been feeling well. I'm just tired though. A good night's rest is all I need."

Before Zuko could argue—Iroh knew his nephew well enough to know that he was about to argue—Aang had grabbed Katara's hand and once again dragged her away. Zuko frowned and moved to follow them, but Mai gently put her hand on Zuko's arm and gestured him away from the group, including the Avatar. Zuko appeared ready to protest, but instead he just sighed and followed her out of the limelight. Iroh had noticed that his nephew had been even less social than usual lately. He had been under the stress of ruling a nation, true, but Iroh had known Zuko since his childhood and this was unusual. Now Zuko and Mai were sitting side by side on a red-brocade ottoman, speaking neither to one another nor to the other guests.

Iroh sighed again. Zuko and Mai both tended too much toward apathetic solitude. Since they had reestablished their relationship after the war, they had been feeding off one another to an unhealthy degree. And with Ty Lee away training to lead the Kyoshi warriors after Suki's marriage to Sokka, there was no one to break them from this solitude, and so it continued and grew. His nephew had not even come over to talk to him even after two months apart, Iroh thought gloomily.

Just as Iroh had made up his mind to go berate Zuko for not coming to greet his uncle, Toph walked over. "Uncle Iroh, are you sure you're alright?"

Iroh looked over at his young friend in amused surprise. Although blind, she was quite perceptive. "When did I say I was alright?" He asked, chuckling.

"You didn't, but if I had just asked how you were, you would have told me you were 'alright,' so I was saving time." Toph's small stature concealed amazing power, and the same was true of the wisdom that hid in her small yet snarky voice.

"Well, I suppose you're right. I'm not alright. I'm concerned," Iroh said allowing himself to admit what Toph obviously already knew.

"About Katara? And Zuko and Mai?"

"Yes. Did you notice how tired Katara looks?" Iroh asked softly.

"Well, I can't see her, but I can tell Sugar Queen is pretty tired. I would be too if I had to deal with Twinkletoes every day."

Iroh nodded slowly before remembering that his companion couldn't see him. "Yes, that is what I thought as well. She can't go on like this forever. Eventually she's going to break. Either Aang needs to see what he's doing to her, or she needs find a way to make it stop."

Toph snorted. "Twinkletoes wouldn't notice if I hit him in the head with a rock. I know, I've tried it. But I don't think Katara is going to say anything. She still cares about his feelings too much. Her mistake," she finished shrugging nonchalantly.

Iroh pondered her words in silence until Toph continued, "Though, I'm not really sure why you're worried about Zuko and Mai. They seem to get along well enough, at least, for two unfriendly people."

"Doesn't my nephew seem different somehow? Almost like he doesn't know his friends?"

Toph considered that for a moment. Then she snapped her fingers. "I got it! Wait here."

Before Iroh could stop her, Toph was hurrying to where Zuko and Mai sat. Iroh watched in amusement as she grabbed Zuko's hand and forcibly led him over to the dance floor. He obviously would have fought back, but with the very ground beneath his feet working against him, the Fire Lord soon found himself dancing with the small earthbending master.

Iroh laughed heartily as he watched the two dance. By the time the song ended and Zuko had been released from Toph's hold, he was laughing as well. Iroh smiled as his nephew began to make his rounds and finally greet his friends.

"See, all he needed was a bit of fun to break him out of the ice." Toph smiled up at Iroh, pleased with herself.

"But what will happen when everyone leaves again? Who will keep him thawed then?"

Toph visibly deflated.

Iroh turned and watched Zuko continue to talk to his guests. He had finally gotten around the circle to where Aang and Katara were standing. This time he and Aang chatted for a moment before the Avatar was distracted again. He ran off, but before Katara could be swept along in his wake, Zuko stopped her. Iroh frowned, unable to hear the exchange between the two, but as Katara walked away, Iroh noticed a pained look in Zuko's face as he watched her rejoin Aang, who had been calling to her.

Iroh frowned and walked over to Zuko. "Come with me," he said softly, grabbing Zuko's arm.

Zuko followed his uncle without question. Neither spoke as they walked away from the palace and through the remarkably empty streets. Iroh wasn't sure where he was going; he simply wanted to get well away from the party so that he and Zuko could talk. After a few minutes, the two found themselves standing in one of the city's small bazaars.

"Uncle, what are we doing here?" Zuko asked, finally breaking the silence.

"You have grown more patient, my nephew, but you still have much to learn."

Zuko put his hand to his head. "Did you really drag me out here just to criticize me for not being patient? I have a party I'm supposed to be hosting."

"No, I brought you out here for a much more serious reason." Iroh said quietly. Zuko frowned, but knew better than to interrupt. "I want to know what you thought about Katara."

Zuko bit his lip. "I'm worried about her. She doesn't look well, but every time I brought it up, she just dodged the issue. Her letters have gotten shorter too. She can't put up with Aang forever. He just keeps dragging her along with him everywhere, just like tonight. I'm sure she has to do everything around camp too, just like back when we were all traveling together. Katara always got stuck doing everything for the group. I tried to help her out whenever I could, but I was the only one." As he spoke, Zuko's voice and aspect grew tense.

"You're right. Katara is not the type to spend her life traveling, but I fear Aang will never be able to settle down." Iroh sighed, and the two became silent once more.

"I'm also worried about you."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Why are you worried about me?"

"You didn't come talk to me. Why would you ignore an old man? Really though," Iroh added quickly as Zuko rolled his eyes. "You seemed lost in such a big crowd."

Zuko shifted uncomfortably. "I just haven't had to deal with social settings in a while. It still feels weird to me to be the center of attention."

"Do you and Mai never go to social events?"

Zuko stared at his uncle in disbelief. "Of course not. Mai hates state affairs."

Iroh raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Zuko asked irritably.

"You're the Fire Lord. How do you intend to rule with a Fire Lady who doesn't like state affairs?"

Zuko bristled, flushing. "I'm doing fine right now, aren't I? Why does it matter?"

Iroh sighed. "You would have ignored everyone at that party if Toph hadn't dragged you away from Mai."

Zuko opened his mouth to argue, but, at a glance from his uncle, snapped it shut. "I suppose you're right," he said after a moment. "So what would you have me do?"

Iroh shrugged. "That is for you to decide."

"Why do you do this, Uncle?" Zuko said hotly. "You tell me I need to do something different, but you won't tell me what!"

Iroh smiled. "Ah, good evening Toph, Katara."

Zuko turned to see the pair who had just walked into view.

"Oh, hi Uncle. You and Zuko also decided to take a walk?" Toph said brightly.

"Yes, it is a fine night for a walk. Oh yes, Toph, I needed to talk to you. Shall we all switch partners for the rest of the evening?"

Toph smiled, and the two began walking away from the bazaar before either Zuko or Katara could object. Iroh glanced back as they rounded the corner just in time to see the earth beneath Katara heave her toward Zuko.

Iroh smiled and patted his small friend on the head. "You just had to get involved didn't you?"

"Of course. They obviously weren't going to figure it out themselves." Toph shrugged.

Iroh laughed, and the two serenely made their way back to the party where they were sure to find two abandoned dates, sullenly looking for their respective partners.


End file.
